Historically, duck decoys have been static models that float freely on the surface of the water. They may also be anchored or moored in cases where wind or currents are expected. Ducks or other waterfowl may observe the decoys from the air and therefore be more likely to land, or come within range of a hunter. To an extent, ducks are capable of learning to discern decoys, at least within close range. It has long been known that the static appearance of the decoys is important. In other words, the more like a real duck the decoy appears, the more difficult it will be for a bird to determine the decoy is not real, which would make it far less likely that the bird will come within range.
In order to further increase realism various electronic decoys have been developed. For example, decoys have been developed that sit slightly above the surface of the water (or at least in a flight posture) with motorized wings that attempt to mimic a duck taking off or landing. The rationale has been that movement makes the decoy appear more realistic than a static pose. However, once such a decoy has been encountered one or more times, a bird will become far less likely to be fooled simply by the spinning wings. Further, at close range, most such active decoys do not appear particularly realistic.
What is needed is a system and method for addressing the above, and related, issues.